Blog Post

The country of Indonesia is ethnically diverse, with around 300 distinctive native ethnic groups and over 740 different languages and dialects spoken in the country.

Indonesia is part of the Malay Archipelago covering 5,150 km’s (3,200 miles) east to west, between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Scattered over either side of the equator is more than 17,500 islands, of which about 6,000 are inhabited. The largest of these islands are Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo), Sulawesi, and the Indonesian part of New Guinea called Papua.

Indonesia is part of the Pacific Rim “Ring of Fire”. The country has some 400 volcanoes, about 150 of these are active which is around 75% of all currently active volcanoes on Earth.

There are approximately 250 million people living in Indonesia (251,160,124) as of July 2013. It is the world’s fourth most populous nation.

The capital and largest city of Indonesia is Jakarta, on the island of Java. Jakarta has a population of almost 14 million making it the world’s ninth largest city.

The island of Java is home to 60% of the country’s population (around 130 million people) making it the world’s most populous island.

Indonesia shares land borders with Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and East Timor.

The highest point in Indonesia is the peak of Puncak Jaya on the island of Papua sitting at 4,884 metres (16,024 ft) above sea level.

Indonesia’s tropical wilderness supports some of the highest level of biodiversity in the world. The giant komodo dragon, Javan rhinoceros, tigers, orangutans, elephants, and leopards are all found in the jungle forests.

The economy of Indonesia centers around agriculture and oil, with approximately 90% of the population involved in agriculture.

The currency of Indonesia is called the Rupiah.

Based on Chinese, European, Middle Eastern, and Indian influences, Indonesian cuisine varies a lot by region. Traditional meals usually involve rice served with side dishes of fish or chicken, vegetables, spices and coconut milk.

Indonesians are fanatical about the game of badminton, often winning gold medals at the Olympic games in the sport. Football (soccer) is also a popular sport in the country.

For more information, check out maps of Indonesia or take a closer look at the Indonesian flag.